


Redemption

by ARGentLady



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-03 02:13:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10957545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARGentLady/pseuds/ARGentLady
Summary: A more in depth look at the motivations of Blake and Yang in the season finale and how they mature and achieve redemption after the fall of Beacon and the loss of one another.





	1. Chapter 1

Blake knew better than anyone what leaving the white fang meant for her, what leaving Adam would do to her. Adam Taurus was her shadow. And shadows would always lurk and be darkest when you were closest to the sun. And yang burned so brightly. Blake loved feeling the warmth and closeness that came with being partners with Yang. But she should have been more careful. She shouldn't have felt the false sense of security and invincibility that came with being young and in love when the demon that plagued her was right around the corner.

There was only room for one of them to exist in the world. If Blake Belladonna should know peace and life, Adam Taurus must be dead. But that was not the case. It was Blake whose strength had bent to his will, whose stomach had been stabbed by his sword. Blake was the one who had more to live for and even more to lose. And, unfortunately for her, that was her weakness against Adam's rage. It was why she lay on the cold cement of Vale.

The moonlight reflected off her pale skin, made paler due to loss of blood, as if it too was iridescent. Blood matted her hair and was under her nails. The ache in her stomach intensified. She had somehow found her last bit of strength and adrenaline when carrying Yang to safety. Her cloak and dagger routine hadn't failed them, and she collapsed in the safety of the circle of armed guards and friends who crowded them for medical attention.

Someone was calling out to her, but Blake would only hold onto an unconscious Yang. Yang, who had lost a part of her. Yang, who bled next to her. Yang whose arm and weapon lay in an unknown burnt down warehouse. This was the result of Yang's hot rage colliding against Adam's cold and calculated anger.

Holding Yang's remaining hand broke Blake's heart. Blake ignored the tears that escaped. She could have lost her today. And that price was too great. The price yang had paid in her honor was already too much. And Blake knew that Yang would have done it again for her. And Blake also knew without a doubt that she couldn't go through this again. She couldn't lose Yang. She couldn't watch Yang put herself in harms way and get hurt ever again. All Blake saw was blood on blonde curls. It was impossible to tell whose blood it belonged to, which made her stomach turn. Blake closed her eyes as her stomach was bandaged and focused her aura.

She wished more than anything there was something she could have done differently. Or that she could use her aura to give yang back her arm. But mostly She wished that she would wake up and none of this destruction and chaos would have happened. Blake knew she would never be able to give back to Yang what she lost.

Blake didn't know how she would be able to look yang in the eye again. And she had made the decision that she wouldn't. She didn't deserve Yang and she couldn't keep her safe. Blake knew Yang would not accept Blake's decision. She had made too many mistakes. But she would not allow yang to be one of them.

Blake heard her friends around her. She heard Ruby's cry and Weis's gasp. She couldn't face any of them. She only had eyes for yang. "I'm so sorry, Yang." Blake wasn't just sorry about Yang's pain, but for leaving. Running was what she was good at. And if it kept yang safe, she would do it.

Tears streamed from her eyes as she ran from from roof top to roof top, her stomach aching with each jolt. Her aura had not healed it completely. Blake knew the scar would always serve as a reminder of what happened this day. It was nothing to what yang would suffer. Blake would go home to heal. She could leave Yang to do the same.


	2. Chapter 2

Yang opened her eyes. She didn't know when her nightmare ended and reality began. Blake had been stabbed by a demon wearing a monster's mask. Yang knew as soon as she saw him that this was the Adam that Blake spoke of, the man that's name caused the empty look in Blake's eyes. This was the man that marred her past with mistakes and loss. He had caused Blake's walls to exist, and the reason Blake struggled with trust and fear and love. And that was when Yang decided he would never hurt her again. She wouldn't let him. This was unforgivable.

"Get away from her!" Her semblance clicked in easily, it was as if she could feel her eyes change to burning red. She knew somehow that a part of her had snapped. She had never felt this fear, this mighty desperation that swallowed her panic and channeled it into action.

Yang propelled herself forward and used this force to deliver a cannon of a blistering punch. She had never landed a punch this heavy, except against machinery or grim. She felt herself becoming raw with her fast speed.

She wondered briefly what this would do to a human, a faunus. Would this make her the beast Blake had feared? Blake had said that Yang wasn't Adam. Blake had said she believed her when Yang claimed she hadn't attacked Mercury first. But that initial distrust crushed her and Yang still had had to work hard to earn the trust of Blake back. Could she afford to lose it again?

But Yang knew this wasn't a time for second guessing her decision to attack. She couldn't afford to regret her instincts. She couldn't afford to ponder morals or go against her gut. There was no time! Blake was hurt and bleeding and in danger. She had to protect Blake. There was no other choice but to act. Nothing was more important.

And then they collided and Yang's arm met -.. cold steel. Bone shattering, burning pain erupted and refused to cease. Her entire body trembled in the wake. Her arm was wet and there was nothing but red. Yang screamed out, unseeing, and soon unfeeling as all she saw was white.

All she could still see was white. And she was still screaming

But it was a dream. Just a dream-.

And someone was holding her down, calling to her. Yang tried to move, but couldn't easily. She bucked with her chest in order to get away. But her arm -.

Yang felt this weird weightless feeling that caused her to be unbalanced. She felt a numbness, replaced by a pain that would flare up over and over again with each move of her pulse. Her arm was useless. Her arm was-. Her arm was gone.

"Ms. Xiao Long Please stop."

Her throat became hoarse from calling without water for two days,

"Blakeee-!"

"Ms. Xiao Long! I have to change your bandages. I need your cooperation."

Yang avoided the nurse and managed to stand shakily, ignoring the nurses orders.

"Where is Blake Belladonna? She was bleeding. She was stabbed through her stomach. Why aren't you working on her?! I need to make sure she is okay-."

The nurse stared at her disapprovingly but yang did not falter. She tried to smile politely, to use her charm to get her way, but soon discovered it was a mask that fell off in a way it had never failed her before. Tears began to fill her eyes. For her own sorrow. For Blake. Why was it so hard to breathe?

The nurse moved to press her back into the bed, but not even the drugs in yang's system were enough to keep her bed bound. Not when she wasn't sure if Blake was safe.

Exasperated, the nurse yelled at her "we do not have a patient under that name."

"Yes you do. She would have came in with me. She needs me. I have to make sure she is getting help-"

Yang pushed past her, and the nurse called for the assistance of orderlies to contain her. Yang's eyes turned red. It was so much easier to do that now. She felt her semblance just below the surface. She knew she would never be the same. What was her semblance good for when she was a cripple who couldn't use it? Hysteria began to bubble up. And who was yang xiao long without her arm and semblance ?

Yang did her best to continue to fight, knocking carts over and pushing people away with her remaining arm into walls. She reached the doorway when they grabbed her by her shoulders. She was about to bite down on a hand and pull herself through, when she walked right into Taiyang's chest guarding the door from the other side.

Something about meeting her dad's eyes of petty solidified yang's resolve. She would get out of this room and find her partner.

" Blake's gone, my little dragon. She never checked in. They called me when you were brought in. I never saw her. Your friends said-" he struggled to finish.

"What are you saying?"

"She left, Yang. They said she ran? I don't know. I'm so sorry-."

The tears that touched yang's cheeks began to rise and sizzle before evaporating into steam.

"No!" Her hair glowed, burning yellow. Where would she channel her anger and hurt and despair? Tai blocked her path and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Breathe, Yang. Stop!"

"I can't! Dad!" The fear overpowered her will. She stared at her father, becoming wild and unglued. She tried to breathe, to think of her team, but it didn't help. Her adrenaline began to wear off, but that brought the pain of her stump of an arm to the forefront. A sharp pinching feeling alarmed her senses that soon turned into numbness. The arms that restrained her had pressed a needle into her shoulder.  
  
Taiyang caught his daughter as she fell forward and drifted back into unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been six months since the fall of Beacon. Six months of avoiding the news. Six months of adamantly pretending things were alright. Six months without seeing Yang and the rest of her team. It still tore up her insides.

But Blake was healing, in her own way. She came home to make amends with her family on Menagerie. Her mother's looks of empathy and her father trying to be gentle with her both soothed and frustrated her. She was not broken. She would never allow herself to be again.

She knew the frustration stemmed from the fall of Beacon, from losing Yang. From being stalked by Sun who was hijacking her time with her family.

But Sun helped her realize her true goal. Fighting the dragon, confronting Ilia, it all had made her feel strong again. She could win again. She hadn't lost her abilities from the fight with Adam. He was not invincible. Blake felt that she had been given purpose. She knew she was alive for a reason.

In Blake's eyes no kingdom deserved to fall. Humans and Faunus were equal and they deserved harmony. Yang's partnership had helped her realize this. Her relationship with her team helped her see that humans and faunus could put aside their differences. That they could support one another. That they could protect and love one another.

The white fang that she knew and loved had believed in this equality. The white fang under Adam's rule caused fear and torment and destruction. Blake needed to open their eyes, to help them go back to their roots. She could forgive them for what happened to Beacon. Blake had made her own mistakes. She had found redemption, and so could they. Blake had hope that she could change their minds and lead them. This was her new-found purpose.

She wished in the back of her mind that Yang was with her. That she would join them in this goal. Blake wondered how the brawler was functioning. Blake remembered her grace and strength and fire.

Guilt filled her heart and weighed her down, however. This always happened when she thought of the certain blonde. It was easier not to think of Yang. She tried to push the thoughts into the back of her mind.

Maybe one day, when this was over, when Blake did something the old Yang could be proud of her for, Blake would find her. She could introduce herself as a leader of a new white fang. And Yang would forgive-. Blake shook the thought away. No matter what she did, it would never make up for what had happened to Yang and how Blake had allowed panic to best her.

Blake's scar grew sore, and she rubbed it. She had found a new purpose now. She knew this would be revolutionary, but her and her family were ready to act.

She would redeem herself against Adam, for herself, for the white fang's legacy and future, and for Yang. Blake sheathed Gambol Shroud and secured another weapon, which was bright yellow, onto her ankle.

She had returned to the scene and salvaged a part of Ember Celica that hadn't been obliterated by the burning down cafeteria and stampeding grim. It was a risk that she had to take. One day, she decided, she would return it to Yang.

Until then, she had been practicing with it, using the weapon to propel herself forward, to send a surprise shot to her foe with a kick and keeping the weapon concealed. Blake had always been much better with her legs than arms. She found it perfectly ironic that she was able to fit it around her ankle.

Part of her felt safer with it, as if a part of Yang was still with her. The part of Yang that always made her better, always pushed her to be a stronger fighter, and always protected her no matter what. She would work harder than ever to finally earn that.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Yang had been a great fighter. As good of a fighter as a bull against a red flag. She knew now that her fighting style limited her abilities and blinded her. What she thought was strength, was in actuality a glorified temper tantrum. Just like she couldn't defeat Neo and had to be saved, she now knew she had no chance against Adam.

She was proud of her accomplishments. But she was even harder on herself due to her short comings. It took her the entire 6 months since the fall to come to a more level headed mindset, to find motivation and an inner strength to be better. To be more than the loss of her arm. To be more than an angry bull. She could be a better fighter.

She needed to give herself the tools to make a difference. And so she finally had agreed due to the urging of her father to utilize the arm she had earned. It didn't feel like she was whole yet. Spray painting it had helped make it feel like it was a part of her. Sparring with her father had helped make it feel like an extension of herself. She felt as if she was becoming a much more talented fighter. She had improved herself. But something was still missing.

Yang shook off the thought of that possibly being Blake. Maybe one day, Yang could face her again. She would become a full fledged graduated huntress. She could look at Blake and say that she was whole on her own, that Yang hadn't been broken, and that she didn't hate Blake for leaving.

Yang didn't know if that day would ever come. Part of her was thankful that Blake would never know her lowest low, her out of control behavior when she found out Blake had deserted her. She was glad that Blake would not have seen the depression that was so foreign to her sink into her skin and keep her wallowing in her pain, bed-bound for days. Blake wouldn't have seen how Yang struggled to do daily tasks and refused to accept help until she could learn how to do things on her own again. She was grateful that Blake wouldn't know that she had struggled with nightmares and had a conscious reoccurring flashback of a red headed monster and his sword. The other part of her knew that having Blake around, however, would have made it all the more bearable.

Sometimes Yang wondered if Blake was safe. If she had stayed true to herself and values and stayed off the streets and away from the danger of the white fang. She wondered if she was still being hunted by Adam. She wondered if Blake thought about her.

Yang forced herself not to consider Blake. She had herself to think of, she had Ruby to save, she had the remaining team members of JNPR to assist. And she would fulfill her goal of becoming a professional huntress alongside her currently rogue vigilante sister. She had the maturity now to do it for the right reasons this time, not for the stature or grander or adventure, but for herself and to protect those who could not protect themselves.

Yang would not let another Kingdom fall, she would not let Cinder and those she worked for get away with their crimes, and she would stop the warped actions of the white fang. Yang knew she could stand for justice. She could be brave again, but not arrogant. Blake could wait until Yang was ready.

With the hum of bumblebee beneath her, Yang drove to Mistral towards Haven academy. She had filled out an enrollment application. She had forged one for Ruby too, who she knew she would need to focus and assist in finding a legitimate path and thinking of a future that was more than being a wanderer and slayer of grim.

Yang ignored the strange detachment she felt to her new arm. She did not like that she did not have a sense of feeling. This Atlas technology was hard earned and it was supposedly connected to her senses, her aura, and would be able to withstand her semblance. It also packed quite the punch, despite the fact that it only weighed a little more than her human arm counterpart. Yang knew that in itself was impressive. Why then, did she feel like something was missing?

Lost in her thoughts and due to enjoying the ride, Yang did not consider the grim that lurked in the shadows and approached due to the noise. A lot of grim had become larger now, with older ones migrating closer to their area due to the frozen dragon and destruction of Vale. Perhaps she was out of practice and needed a refresher course. Yang grinned at the challenge.

The wolf grim roared, it's massive jaws snapping as it broke into a run that overcame bumblebee. Yang jumped off her bike into a roll and threw her arm out to engage ember celica as she was accustomed to. She had forgotten, however, about losing her arm and precious weaponry, and that a simple metal arm was extended without her firing capability. But Yang had heard a shot ring out.

Horror at her mistake turned into shock and awe as she watched the metal hand move, robotic gears twisting and turning aerodynamically to allow a burst of golden fire, the familiar kinetic energy that Yang knew as being a part of herself.

The burst faded, her metal hand continued to glow, and then the mechanism shifted back into place, closing off it's weapon capacity and power source. In her awe, she noticed the fall of the grim, but payed more attention to her newly acquired skill and weaponry, this extension of herself. She had found the missing part. This power. It had been with her all along, dormant. She had found herself.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

Yang fell asleep at her desk. She had been unable to track down her sister the night before. Ruby was off again on another mission since graduating with Yang from Haven, due to Yang’s insistence. She decided to rush into her career, which was admirable in its own way, while Yang wondered once again what more there was in the world and sought to seek answers of diplomacy, a scientific way to stop grim, and how to train with teams of the elite when she herself had to surpass the odds of her lost arm. This was why she had went to university, had tested out of her freshmen courses, and was being scouted to join an elite team of hunters and huntresses. 

Yang began to want this for herself. This group’s goal was to keep society safe, keep order, evacuate, arrest those leading revolt or conspiring in terrorism, and assassinate older grim. The officer hunters and huntress in training were usually those who assisted in the evacuation of civilians and the clearing of regular, younger scores of grim. Until she rose to the ranking of the elite squad, this was where she would stay with her regular huntress license. 

The kingdoms together had decided that universities were necessary to train groups of the best hunters and huntresses to work together in organized packs, creating a militia like unit. Another motivation to attend the school was that she had also received intel that a certain Blake Belladonna had been spotted there. Yang didn’t think it could be true, however.

Her tiredness was due to the fact that she had spent half of her night hours searching for Ruby, who was supposed to have returned from her two week long mission last night. She was not answering her scroll, the gps tracking had been turned off, and the only team member that Yang was familiar, which was Juane, was also radio silent. She had been fielding calls from her father all morning. She had sent Crow out looking in her place. Their beloved Uncle was off on another secret mission again, but he seemed to find time a lot easier now than before to assist his family. Yang believed that was where she had taken up her tracking skills, that she had inherited the skill from her mother’s side. 

In her panic of being late for school, she had forgotten to load up on caffeine and was thus lulled to sleep in class by her professor’s monotone voice. She awoke, startled by a pile of books dropped beside her head.

“Miss Xiao Long, why is it that you waste not only my time, but your own? I know you can do better. If you cared about your future and academic career as much as your career in weaponry and fighting technique and sports competition, you would be parallel to no one. I want you to make an appearance at a conference for faunus and human interaction and treaties. In fact, I have taken the liberty of signing you up for it so that you do not try to go to Weaponry 101. Miss Belladonna will be presenting and I expect a 5 page paper response/reflection. This is pass fail.”

“Belladonna? As in Blake Belladonna?”

The Professor looked at her strangely. He nodded in confirmation, and stared at her expectantly. So it appeared her intel was not wrong. She still had good sources and she was still able to track those who did not want to be found. Now what was there to do with this information? Yang thought quickly. She knew she would go at all costs. Even if it was just to see Blake. In the event Blake saw her, Yang was not aware of how she or the other would react. It was unthinkable.

“I understand, Professor Farrow. I will be there and I will do better. Beacon and Haven did prepare me for this. And I am more than a fighter.” Yang began to clean up her belongings.

“Then you will have no trouble proving this.” 

Yang lifted her chin, rising with the rest of the students to go to their next class. They were equal in height, and Yang stared at him with an expression of determination and mild irritation. 

“None.” She hated his doubt. But she would prove him wrong. Just like she proved everyone wrong who thought she would be unable to continue her huntress training. When she had to prove to her father that her temperament was better, that she could learn a new style of fighting, and that she could be on her own. When she had to prove that she was strong enough to find Ruby. When she had to prove herself to Haven, learning how to fight again and control her arm. When she graduated with high marks and received a scholarship to attend the newly opened University of Remnant, that was something that she had proved to herself. 

She received an honorable badge reward for her fight in the fall of Beacon and for her attempts to protect it. She was certain all of her previous friends had. Charges against her from Mercury, who was now known as a wanted criminal, and the school were disproved and dropped and Yang discovered that Beacon had formally and publicly recanted its decision of disqualifying her for the tournament and had included this in a news article account explaining to the world of Remnant what had happened that night. 

This was, in fact, meaningless on the surface as the tournament would not be rescheduled. However, it was done as a gift to Yang to preserve her honor and reputation. However, many conspiracy theorists still did not trust her or believe her account. It didn’t bother her. It only bothered her when children shrank away from her. She didn’t blame them, however. They were too young to understand. 

Shaking herself out of her thoughts and sleep-deprived stupor, Yang returned to her dorm and did not allow the embarrassment from class to eat away at her behind closed doors. She knew she should be doing better in her classes. She had more than proved herself to be a more tactical fighter and not a brute. And despite her past with Blake, she did care about faunus relations. She believed everyone should be equal. Yang still had her compassion and protective nature that had always allowed her to stand up for others. 

Yang took the time to create a small meal and took a shower. She was not familiar with the silence of her apartment or of being alone. She no longer reveled in the absence of people like she had when she had been recovering. She missed it, but also did not crave being the center of attention like she had when she was younger. Now that she was older, she pondered if she would be fulfilled living a quiet existence. 

She took great pride in her appearance still, even being brave enough to switch up her trademark blonde hair style. It was shaped into a more mature lion’s mane that would keep it from tangling. She often kept it up in a hair tie now. Sometimes, when Ruby crashed with her, Yang would let her braid pieces of it. She felt more comfortable this way lately and knew she was less likely to be recognized from her days at Beacon. She was not a one armed wonder. Or a cruel bull who broke defenseless people’s extremities. Yang laughed at the thought.

She thought about throwing on her compression sleeve she sometimes wore to disguise her metal arm while she ran track or participated in hand to hand combat drills, but she decided against it. It was a more chilly fall day, so instead she would wear her coat, which would be coverage enough. She slipped the leather and canvas material over her bare chest. She was still Yang, of course, and she would not apologize for it. She would flaunt who she was. 

Her stomach peaked out the edges of the coat, her buttons secure except for the last one on the top and the bottom. Her thigh length shorts and just below knee-length boots completed her ensemble in her trade mark colors of orange and khaki brown. The inside of her jacket was lined with a purple satin that kissed and cooled her skin and was only visible when she popped her collar as she walked into the drizzling day. She wiped off bumblebee and felt herself relax as she straddled the machine that hummed to life and steadily and reliably took her to her destination. She had taken the scenic route.

Yang made her way to the conference hall and sat high in the stadium of seats. She had brought a pen and paper, but left them in her pocket as she was more focused on paying attention to the participants. She was fashionably late, of course. Introductions had already been made and opening statements were starting. A hum in the crowd began, and Yang felt herself already thinking about crowd control in the event of an attack. She quickly noticed the change as the Faunus advocate began to pitch and present a new candidate for leadership against the tyranny of Adam Taurus and the followers of the Fang that he kept. 

Yang knew that Taurus was still at large, that orders were to capture or kill. His actions during the fall of Beacon showed him in a terrorist light and had attention turn negatively to the White Fang, despite the fact that Adam was known to be a rogue member. No longer were he and his followers hiding under the cover of the White Fang’s previous leader, for many of the angry and corrupt members decided to follow Adam and create the Red Fang. Many knew the Red Fang also allowed themselves to be goons for hire and that they were still using violence and their anger from their previous oppression to prove themselves greater than humans. No longer were they asking to be equal. Their goal was to turn the tables.

An overthrowing had occurred, and even many of the White Fang’s own members and peaceful civilian faunus were frowned upon by humans for the supposed connection to criminal activity and at the same time were treated as enemies of the new Red Fang that had come from the ashes of the fall. They believed that if all faunus were not with them, they were automatically considered against them and treated as an enemy. The Red Fang was a threat to safety and peace and diplomacy that needed to be dealt with. They were causing regular faunus and human relations to be put in jeopardy as well, which was setting back their original cause. This conference’s goal was to find a solution.

The crowd began to murmur as a curtain was opening to reveal the answer to the White/Red Fang dilemma. Who is representing the average citizen faunus and their rights? Within the blinding lights of the stage, silken black hair shined, revealing furry black ears as a woman stepped out. She wore pants with a familiar emblem, a long white tail coat with the symbol of the white fang on the back, and a single medal was pinned to her collar. 

“This candidate will represent us as our chosen new leader. She is already a liaison of the White Fang sector in Menagerie, who saved our sacred island from the clutches of those misled and those criminal of the Red Fang. She is one who will champion our continual struggle for equality amongst humans and stand against the warring and rebellion. For these reasons it is my pleasure to introduce to you Ms Blake Belladonna, who surpasses her late Father, our Previous High Leader of the original White Fang and chieftain of Menagerie.”

Yang’s breath was taken away. Blake’s father had passed? She was standing against Adam’s tyranny? Yang recalled all of Blake’s modesty and embarrassment she suffered from previously whenever she received attention. Look how she stood in front of an auditorium full of witnesses now, with microphones and cameras pointed at her. Her mask of poise did not waiver, and amber and calculating eyes scanned the crowd. 

Blake relaxed more and became more personable and relatable and awe-inspiring as she talked about the passions of reconciliation, of combined strength, and the good of our forces. She explained the difference between the Red Fang and the White and what they stood for. She explained that many are misguided about their role in the organization and what everyday citizens, faunus or human, could do to help. She was the voice of the new world.

Blake discussed that she had devised a plan, created steps towards further diplomacy and equality, and she campaigned to change hearts and to win over support. She insisted that the University take faunus applicants to use in their efforts and that the White Fang would stand hand in hand with humans as they always did to protect Remnant and their livelihood from those who threaten it, such as wanted criminals/terrorists Cinder Fall and Salem and their following. She explained how time and time again she had stood for justice and had fought off sieges of Grim, assisted in the capturing and arrest of Roman Torchwick, she had fought to protect Beacon during the fall, and had stood against Adam Taurus on several occasions.

Blake explained that she would need more funding than she already had and resources and political and physical backing against Adam’s Fang group in order to be successful. She had plans to cut off his funding, of devising a plan to freeze his dust supply he was raiding to support his cause. Everyone appeared captivated. No one expressed distaste or was unfavorable to Belladonna’s cause. That was until a microphone was shoved into Yang’s face and a woman grabbed her by her arm. A man pointed a camera at her. 

Yang removed her arm from her grip after explaining her discomfort and setting her boundary by crossing her arms and adjusting her stance. It was obvious the reporter had recognized Yang. But what did she have to do with this? She was hijacking the assembly. And she had no intention of being spotted by Blake like this. She had wanted it to occur on her own terms. Yang looked towards the exit and was about to take a step, until the reporter addressed her by her name.

“Ms Xia Long, can you please comment about your belief in the truth of these statements made by one Blake Belladonna? Was it true that she was a part of the White fang when it was known as a terrorist organization? Didn’t she work with Adam Taurus? Isn’t it true that Blake is the reason her own partner lost her arm? This is Carma Lot reporting with FH News at the conference for human and faunus relations on why we the people should not put our trust or faith in Blake Belladonna.”

The reporter began to move away, as if the questions were rhetorical and this information was true. But it wasn’t. Yang reached for the microphone in response to both of their dismay and stood straighter as the camera panned back to her. The reporter returned quickly, narrowing her eyes that glittered as if in victory. Yang’s eyes turned red. 

So what were Yang’s options? Option one would be to go to Blake's defense and stand up for the faunus and face her and pretend everything was alright for the greater good and for the cause, which was the reason she had lost her arm in the first place. In fact, it was Adam Taurus who had caused this to happen. Blake running and deserting her had nothing to do with this. She couldn’t hold it against her with what was at stake. 

Yang did not like option two very much. Yang could leave and make it seem like the rumor and accusations were true, which would make Blake look bad and set things back for her campaign. But Yang was not the runner in this. She would stand up for what was right.

“Blake’s statements are 100% true. The previous White Fang was an organization struggling with equality. They were misguided and taken advantage of by Adam Taurus. Blake has since reinvented herself and the image of the White Fang. She was a personal target of Taurus and stands against him. Despite this, and where others have failed, she has saved Menagerie from his influence. Just as she saved me from an attack on Taurus during our fight to protect Beacon Academy. I did lose my arm in this process, but I did not lose my life, thanks to Ms. Belladonna. There is no one more qualified to lead the new White Fang than Ms. Belladonna. There is no one more dedicated to representing them in their continual relations with humans and efforts of equality. She is trustworthy.” 

Yang’s eyes met Blake Belladonna’s, who had left the stage and had moved closer, frozen. Her eyes quickly snapped down in response at having been discovered. Her cat ears twitched, however, and gave way to the belief that she had overheard everything. Blake looked perplexed and concerned and panicked, but that only showed for a moment before a mask returned to her face. 

Yang couldn’t do anything but look at her. Yang did not know what color her own eyes were. Yang felt the crowd swarm them with interest, excitement in the air. Yang’s instincts and new training kicked in. Blake was quickly overwhelmed by those cheering and reporters who got too close, both in anger and happiness as they were eager to be close to the person in the limelight who had been on stage. 

Blake took a step towards Yang, tentative. Another step, more sure. Yang debated turning to the exit and leaving, but she herself was jostled and she watched as Blake was maneuvered as well and more people came between them. It occurred to Yang that an imposter could be in the crowd. If they wanted to take down the threat of change, they would do so by public means to get their message across. It helped that their target had made themselves available. 

Blake’s expression changed to concern, and Yang felt herself act. She had made an unconscious decision to leap into the unknown for Blake yet again. Using her metal arm, Yang weaved her way through the chairs and people and was quickly at Blake’s side. She grabbed her arm, without thinking, their first touch since Beacon. Yang knew that if she had been younger, tears would have sprung into her eyes. But she had years to mature and think and be on her own to deal with her confusing feelings for Blake. Now she shoved Blake through the crowd, back to the safety of the stage’s curtain that concealed them.

Yang listened for any sounds, but they did not come. Blake reached for her hand, but clasped the metal one instead and began to speak. Yang watched as fingers traced the curve of the metal, and she felt a lump rise in her throat and her heart drop as she realized she couldn’t feel the touch. 

A rushing sound filled her ears before she was able to hear the end of what Blake was saying. Her voice was the same. There was still an earnest passion to it. There was still the melancholy and intelligent dryness that Yang loved. Loved? She remembered the times she appreciated Blake’s wit and charm and snark, which was Blake allowing herself to live a little and open up to Yang. Yang shook her head to clear it.

“I know you didn’t do it for me, but I really appreciate-. I can’t tell you how sorry I am-. Is there anything I can do?” 

“I am sick of being underestimated. By you. By everyone. And you’re right: I didn’t do this for you. I did it because I believe in your cause. But did I lose my arm for you? Yes, that I did do for you. And you can’t pretend everything's okay.”

“Yang- I’m sorry. I’m not pretending. I just, didn’t expect-.”

“What: you didn’t expect to ever see me again? Did you think I would live out my existence and never try to find you?”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t want to. I was hoping I could keep you safe. I had to fight an army of faunus against Adam, Yang. My parents, they were unsafe on Menagerie. I had to defend my home. And I lost my Father. I didn’t need to lose you too or put you in jeopardy again. And i knew you’d want to come with me.”

“For a while, that was true, I didn’t want to find you. And maybe you’re right. I couldn’t have helped you then. But I needed you too. And I know I can’t fault you for going to your parents, for taking back Menagerie. And you lost your Father in that fight-... You should have told me. I would have understood. But I felt abandoned again. I lost my mom. I lost Summer. Ruby left me. I didn’t need to lose you too. You chose to do that to me. And I’ve had plenty of time to get over the fact that you left. I don’t need you, but I forgive you. And you’re doing what’s right for the world. And I admire that.”

“It’s okay to not be over it. I’d understand if you hated me even still. I was your partner and I let you down. And your condition was not the reason that I left you behind. I thought I was going to die that day, Yang. I thought I was going to die on Menagerie. And I didn’t want to have to put you there with me. You deserved so much better than that. But then we won. And I thought about you every day. I’ve dreamt about this moment. I’ve thought about it happening in so many different ways-. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for not coming back for you. I didn’t think you’d want to see me. I was scared.”

“Blake, I could never hate you. I don’t know what to say.” 

“Do you want to-?”

“Could we-?”

They laughed as their stomachs rumbled in unison.

“Get food,” Yang finished. Blake nodded and smiled genuinely for the first time in a long time.


	6. Chapter 6

Without having to speak, they walked out of the hall and went to a nearby sushi restaurant. Blake thought it felt like their days at Beacon all over again.

Yang opened the door for them. Over tealights, they had conversations about Blake’s Father’s funeral, about what Menagerie was like, where Blake saw the direction of the White Fang headed, how Ruby was, how Yang felt about her new arm and what it could do, how Yang’s career was going, the university, her training, what graduating from Haven was like.

Yang thought about asking about Sun, but thought better of it. Before they knew it, the restaurant was closing and they were the only customers remaining. They paid their separate checks and exited.

Yang pointed to her bike in a silent  
offering of a ride. Blake’s face warmed with color as she nodded. Yang offered her a spare helmet and Blake put her arms around her waist. As the ride went on and the city streets blurred around them, Blake pressed herself closer to Yang’s back. She never thought she’d be this close to her again. It was so like Yang to accept her again in this way. Yang’s bike slowly came to a stop and Blake quickly loosened her grip and removed her helmet to fix her hair and ease the ache of her flattened feline ears.

She knew she should be cautious of reporters or potential attacks at all  
times as well. She released a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. She could do this, she  
reminded herself for the hundredth time.

“Yang, would you want to-.”  
“Blake, I -.” Yang threw her arm back nervously and laughed. Blake smiled at the sound. She found her eye shift to Yang’s new arm. The metal appendage suited her somehow. Blake squashed down the guilt she still felt.

“You go first,” Yang insisted. Blake watched her carefully with calculating amber eyes.

“I have part of Ember Celica. On my ankle. I’ve been using it to propel myself with my dust clones and to kick and shoot. It’s helped me escape in tight spots. It’s been a good partner to me. I wanted to give it back to you.” She studied Yang’s features, looking for red eyes that didn’t come. Instead, Yang smiled faintly, looking at her in a way that was too soft for Blake’s  
liking.

“Keep it. I don’t have use for it anymore. I won’t even ask how you got it. I’m just glad she’s still loved.” Blake’s blush returned to her cheeks and she became irritated because of it.

“That’s not what I was going to talk to you about though. I actually meant to ask you-. I was wondering if-. Would you like to come with me? I have to leave tomorrow. I have to. I know it’s overstepping of me to ask.” Blake got choked up on her emotions that played at the surface.

Yang shushed her and wrapped Blake into her arms. It was so easy to go back to this. Blake buried her nose in Yang’s neck and hair and inhaled. She smelled the same. Yang pet her hair to soothe her, and Blake’s cat ears flicked towards the motion. Yang withdrew, gently brushing them, despite Blake’s  
protest.

“Where are you going?”

“Schnee Industries. Weis and I have a meeting about labor laws for faunus workers and  
her shipments that keep getting hijacked. If we can work this out together, I can hit Adam where  
it will hurt. The Red Fang would be weakened for a while.”

“How is the ice princess doing nowadays?” Yang knew Weis had inherited her family’s company and had made it bigger than they could imagine. Ruby still visited her. Yang saw her on infrequent occasions and heard more about her through interviews and negative articles about the Red Fang striking against her.

“Her heart is easier to thaw than she likes to admit.” Yang did not let her emotions betray her at the thought of being jealous that Blake had visited Weis instead of her. She pushed the thought away. She knew that visiting Weis had been much easier for Blake. She couldn’t fault her for that. Yang had been in a hard place and had been busy reinventing herself. And it also  
helped that visiting Weis was not just social, but also work for Blake. Yang smiled. She wished  
Weis well and was happy to hear this news.

Yang brought herself back to the original question, as Blake stared at her inquisitively. What would this mean for Yang’s status at the university? What would it mean for her career?

“I’m in,” Yang clasped Blake’s hand in her own and lept for her once again. There was something about Blake that allowed her to feel brave enough to take chances.


	7. Chapter 7

Schnee industries was all sharp edges and glass, an industrial building showing progress, a beacon of innovation and the future. Yang moved closer to Blake as they approached, ignoring the flashing of cameras, holding out a metal arm to block those who got too close. Security from schnee industries met them halfway, escorting them through the twirling doors and standing guard outside them. Blasters were strapped visibly across their shoulders. Yang knew this showing of strength was for good reason.

The lobby entrance greeted them with an impressive vaulted ceiling. The secretary acknowledged them with a bow and motioned them to the main elevator, where they typed in a code before the doors would open.

"Ms. Schnee will see you now."

Blake and Yang thanked her and made their way into the elevator. Although larger than any elevator Yang had been in, she felt too close to Blake. She removed her hand and stepped back when she realized she still had had her human arm on Blake's back, having used it to guide Blake inside and feel her proximity.

Blake watched her in stoic silence, calculating and knowing. She would really like to know what everyone seemed to get that she was unaware of. And why was this elevator so slow?

"What are we doing?"

"We are going to see Weis?-."

"You know that's not what I meant. I meant: I want to know what this thing is between us. No, I mean, what is the point of you bringing me here? You could have taken anyone. Your new team, your mother, even Sun-"

Blake stared at her in slight agitation and astonishment. Only when Yang fisted her hands in her hair with frustration did Blake speak.

"Do not throw Sun into this. Isn't it proof enough that I want to spend time with you, that I care about you and missed you horribly, or that I picked you over the others? Why can't that be enough?"

Something tugged at Yang's heart, but she pushed it down.

"That might have been enough before, Blake, but it isn't now. I've changed and I know that you have too. I just can't pretend that I lost my arm for you in some great showing of friendship and I can't pretend it didn't stab me in the heart when you left because of it; that it didn't hurt that you never wrote or called. I can't pretend that I didn't think about you every day for the longest time or that I didn't give up on you and hated myself for it. But I'm done with pretending and appearances. It's not me anymore. I know how I feel and if you can't handle the truth then -."

Blake reached for her and in the same moment closed the distance between them, showing a stealth that came with being both a feline and a ninja. This method was effective in silencing Yang as Blake's refined and determined hands cupped the other's startled face. Blake's movements were purposeful as her thumb brushed the line of yang's jaw, coaxing Yang's acceptance and offering a calm before the storm as the other's arms encircled her. Blake bestowed a kiss upon her, a slight brushing of lips. Their mouths opened to accept the other, or were just about to, when the elevator opened.

They froze and stared wildly at the other as a proper cough echoed into the elevator corridor from inside a grand and apparently occupied room, wishing that they could disappear in the other. They sprang apart quickly upon realizing that they were not alone.

"Leave it to Yang to be improper. But I expected more from you Blake."

Yang's sour mood and frazzled state from the almost-kiss and emotional confrontation improved quicker than Blake's. She stepped into the room in a way that she hoped was in an arrogant manner and smiled at Weis the way she used to.

"It's good to see you graduated from ice princess to ice queen."

Weis's cold blue eyes lit. A calculating eyebrow raised. Yang's slight doubt over how to act with Weis now that time had effected their relationship eased when Weis smirked at her.

"And you've gotten shorter. It's good to see you Yang." They surprised each other when Yang laughed and moved in for a hug, melting the ice and tension. Yang expressed her pride and comfort at seeing Weis again in her hug, but still a part of her held back.

Yang was sure it was normal after what she had went through. She thought that she would have a part of herself now that would always be reserved, it came from maturing she hoped, but she knew it was possibly a coping method from recovering. Regardless, because of it she had learned to be cautious and more observant and to have a better internal reflection before she acted.

That was something Yang had always admired about Blake. She always seemed to think things through with purpose and poise. She was good at reading people, good at knowing how to act.

Part of Yang was dissapointed Weis had never visited her, but she had written, and she had made efforts with Yang at the hospital. Yang knew she had pushed many people away. But she had forgiven herself for that. It appeared that Weis already had. And Weis had improved her relationship with her true sister in that time. Yang was proud of her for that.

Weis pulled away and extended a hand to Blake. Out of the group, Weis and Blake were possibly the most alike for being reserved and tactical and for their weapons of choice being swords. Yang found the greeting fitting but still took note. She also reminded herself that they had deals to make and both of them were in business mode. They had also seen each other more often.

"Please take a seat." Yang sat first, athletically balancing in her seat, bouncing in earnest interest. Blake and Weis sat in unison, Blake brushing hair out of her eyes and holding a pen decoratively as Weis folded her hands.

"And let us begin."

 


End file.
